Stamping apparatus and process



"S 0 23 m in 1 awn? H. S. HOLME$ STAMPING APPARATUS AND PROCESS Filed March 21. 1921 I I v v1. 3 3M 6x552 Patented Sept. 23, 1924.

HENRY S. K011103 13, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR 1,509,147 F I C E ro THoMAs E. MURRAY, or

BROOKLYN, YORK.

STAMPING AEPARATUS AND PROCESS.

' Application filed March 21, 1921. Serial No. 453,916.

Toall'wlwm iii may concern: r

, Be it known that I, HE RY S. HOLMES, a citizen of the United States, and resident of New York city,New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stamping Apparatus and Processes, of which the following is a specification.

The invention aims to provide a quick and economical process of shaping articles of sheet metal.

The accompanying drawings illustrate an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of a lower die with a blank and an upper die in elevation, showing the position of the parts before the operation;

Fig. 2 is a plan of the lower die with the finished article therein;

F ig. 3 is a plan of the blank with a side elevation in juxtaposition thereto;

I Fig. 4 is a side elevation or theblank in i an intermediate stage of the operation;

Fig. 5 is alongitudinal section of the fin ished article;

Figs. 6 and 7 are cross-sections of the upper and lower dies respectively on the lines indicated in Fig. l; the finished article being illustrated in connection with Fig. 7

Referring to the embodiment of the invention illustrated, the article to be produced is one-half of a rear axle housing for automobiles, divided along a longitudinal plane. It is illustratedas a whole by the numeral 1 and in cross-section shows a bottom 2 and sides 3 extending upward therefrom at right angles, with straight upper edges 4 andv a circular portion cut away at the center as at 5. The bottom is flared downward or outward at the ends 6 and has a depressed central portion 7 concentric substantially with the curved edge 5 of the flanges. The article is made from a blank 8, Fig. 3. It is first bent in longitudinal section to the shape shown at 9, Fig. 4, its horizontal section remaining flat. In the continued operation of the machine it is bent in transverse section to fold up the sides 3. Each of these operations is chiefly or largely a bending or folding operation with the edges of the blank free as distinguished from the ordinary drawing operation in which the edges of the blank are held strongly between clamps from which they are gradually drawn by the pressure at the center. There is little or no drawing of the metal, the actual amount ofdrawmg depending more or less on the shape being produced. By using an operation which is chiefly or solely bending, the product can be obtained with a much smaller eXpenditure of power and time than is necessary in the complete drawing operations which have generally been en'i 'iloyed lor producing such shapes, and a very much simpler and lighter machine. may be used :for the purpose. Furthermore, with this method the metal is not thinned out to any great extent, as in the ordinary drawing operation which produces a considerable variation in the thickness of the product. The product of my process is unijtorm even when using metals of different drawing qualities, and in fact it is not necessary to use the same expensive quality of metal which is required to withstand a drawing operation.

To secure the bending operation described the die 10 has its sides 11 shaped on their upper edges 12 to the longitudinal contour of theblank, and the punch 13 has its working face 14 similarly shaped. The bottom 15 of the die is similarly shaped. The first ctt'ect o't'the operation, when the punch is pressed toward the die, will be to bend the 8 in longitudinal section to the shape of the edges 12 and the working face 14 of the die and punch, that is to the shape of Fig. 4. The working face 14: of the punch does not extend clear across the width of the blank, as will be seen from Figs. 6 and 7, where the blank 8 is illustrated in dotted lines. But the effect will be to press the engaged parts of the blank down across its entire width until the edges come to be supported on the edges of the die. \Vhen this position is reached throughout the length of the blank we have what may be called the end of the first stage of the process; although it will be understood that the movement of the punch may be uninterrupted. Thus the product may be turned out much more rapidly than where the operation is interrupted after the first stage in order to reset the machine for the second stage or to transfer the blank to another apparatus for the second stage.

As the punch continues downward, being shaped to fit into the recess in the die, with only the necessary clearance at the sides, it will bend up the two longitudinal sides 3, of the product and will force them out horizontally, to fit the inner, face 16 (Fig. 2) of the sides of the die, with its gradual enlargement in width at the center and its rapid enlargement at the ends to form the side flanges 17 on the product. That is to say this second stage will bend the metal transversely in a vertical d rectlon and also,

the. metalfis free tobend in the manner described. \Vith this operation we can determine in advance the exact shape of the blank necessary to produce an article of the shape and dimensions desired and no trimming operation of the edges is necessary.

The product may be made curved in crosssection. instead of substantially angular as shown, and may in fact be made ofwvarious shapes in longitudinal and in cross-section, and also in horizontal section. The inven-, tion is most obviously. applicable to com: paratively long narrow pieces of work-and to, the 'bendingof the work lengthwise-in the, first stage, but'the bending may be accomplish'edin either of two transverse directions-first, and the process-maybe apin the arrangement of the parts may be made by'thoseskilled in theart without departure from the invention as defined in the following claim.

VVhatI'claim isz- An apparatus for produeing froma sheet metal-blank a segment of a rear axle hous i-ng, comprising a die: having sides 11 shape-d on their upper edges :12 tothe, desired longitudinal contour of'thesegment and having abottom 15 parallel to and shaped-similarly to said edges, and a-one piece punch having a working'faoe 1i similarly shaped arranged to r co-operate with the sides 01 the dieto bendthe workto the contour of the upper edges of such sides, said punch having"- its working'face of less width than the recess of the die so as to force the work, afterith-as been bent to the contour of the sides, down against'the bottom ofthe die and to bend up the side portions of the work to a width determined by the contour of the edgesof the sheetmetal blank from which the segment is formed. v v a i i In" witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

HENRY S. HOLMES. 

